[srs713]

My bike had been acting sluggish. The engine bogging down at stop-lights. It took a bit for it to get started.



And then, after sitting thru a hot spell without riding for a couple of weeks it wouldn't turn the engine over.



Now (about a month later) with my cash flow looking better I took the battery to the parts store.

Their test equipment said it could take a charge, but rated it at 0 cold cranking amps... yeah, ZERO.



Stopped at Allpak & got one of their refabbed batteries for just under $38.



Even after sitting for about a month the engine started right up. No hesitation. Didn't even have time to hear the starter motor whine.



Old battery must have been going bad slowly. And taking the bikes performance with it.

 

[Brad Lamar]

I concur that a weak battery will cause all types of issues other than just poor starting. Replaced mine and could not believe the difference.

The bike just seemed more lively all around.



Brad

 

[qwerty]

Hmmm? My battery is 4 years old and will barely turn the engine over. Sometimes it won't even do that. I've not noticed any engine problems. I've noticed its performance slowly degrading for at least a year. Perhaps you might want to take a little look around your wiring for loose and/or corroded connections. Maybe you can catch something before you are left stranded.

 

[aktw200]

Yea, my '07 battery gave up the ghost earlier this week. $120

for an Interstate brand, only one in town. Sucks to live up here sometimes.

 

[qwerty]

Yea, my '07 battery gave up the ghost earlier this week. $120

for an Interstate brand, only one in town. Sucks to live up here sometimes.

Off brand YTZ7-S equivalent on ebay for $42 including shipping. Two sources/brands from which to choose.

 

[arrowsmith]

I concur that a weak battery will cause all types of issues other than just poor starting. Replaced mine and could not believe the difference.

The bike just seemed more lively all around.



Brad

You need to explain why. I run my 91 without a battery and it runs fine.

 

[catamount]

You need to explain why. I run my 91 without a battery and it runs fine.

So kick start only?



Are you running with a capacitor then? Details please.

 

[srs713]

You need to explain why. I run my 91 without a battery and it runs fine.

You should at least have a capacitor to smooth out the current.



My problem was with getting wattage (power) out of the battery. It seemed to hold a charge, (volt meter read 12.6 volts) but it registered ZERO cold cranking amps. P=V*I

There was some kind of problem inside the battery that pulled on the whole charging system, leaving less power for the coil to create spark.



Bad battery -> weak spark -> incomplete burn -> weak ride.

Good battery -> strong spark -> more complete burn -> strong ride.

 

[arrowsmith]

So kick start only?



Are you running with a capacitor then? Details please.

When I bought it the battery was missing. I have just never gotten around to buying one. Kick start and no capacitor which could be hard on the charging system. Not sure if it will hurt the charging system or not. The 66 Harley I had did not have a batt. but the system was different.

I do not ride it much as I have a 2003. I got it for my nephew and he is not old enough to ride on the street yet so ridesit in the woods. Some pictures on Gear Hollow.

 

[arrowsmith]

You should at least have a capacitor to smooth out the current.



My problem was with getting wattage (power) out of the battery. It seemed to hold a charge, (volt meter read 12.6 volts) but it registered ZERO cold cranking amps. P=V*I

There was some kind of problem inside the battery that pulled on the whole charging system, leaving less power for the coil to create spark.



Bad battery -> weak spark -> incomplete burn -> weak ride.

Good battery -> strong spark -> more complete burn -> strong ride.

I do not believe lights care about smooth current. Nothing else is using the charging system.



Battery has nothing to do with the ignition on a TW. The charging system and the ignition system are two separate systems. Either one will work without the other.





If it ran better after the battery was installed you have another problem that has nothing to do with the battery.

 

[Gene Bond]

It is quite possible that the old battery had a shorted cell, and thus was 10v instead of 12v (nominal)...



This would most certainly affect the light and ignition!

 

[wrench-puller]

Awwww.... but the two circuits are related... if the starter is slow turning, then the spark is weak, the stator needs the RPM to produce enough "juice" to make that crisp blue spark. This is the same reason a kid has a hard time kick starting some bikes, they need to kick hard and long enough to get that spark to jump the spark plug gap other wise it just floods out that the ride is over. There were some posts in the old forum where people noted that if they push started the bike it fired right up, but on the key it wouldnt fire or would take some time. With a Kv tester you can even measure the difference, so if you want to use the starter, you do need a good CCA battery.

 

[arrowsmith]

Awwww.... but the two circuits are related... if the starter is slow turning, then the spark is weak, the stator needs the RPM to produce enough "juice" to make that crisp blue spark. This is the same reason a kid has a hard time kick starting some bikes, they need to kick hard and long enough to get that spark to jump the spark plug gap other wise it just floods out that the ride is over. There were some posts in the old forum where people noted that if they push started the bike it fired right up, but on the key it wouldnt fire or would take some time. With a Kv tester you can even measure the difference, so if you want to use the starter, you do need a good CCA battery.

But it will not make it run better.Just start better with starter. Would make no difference with kick starter.

 

[Brad Lamar]

I guess I need to back peddle some here. I interjected my combined experiences with other bikes that did have other issues when there were problems with the battery

and charging systems. It has been a while since I replaced the battery in the Dub and the only issue that I had for sure was the difficult starting.

My memory tells me the bike was more slugglish off idle but that may have been a mind trick I was playing on myself. They would make pills for your memory

but no one would remember to take them!!! The other bikes had electronic fuel injection, fuel pumps and electronic ignitions that were affected by low

or high system voltage. Sorry if I mis-directed the thread.



Brad